Art

Your Connection to One-of-a-Kind Art, Without Leaving Your Home – ARTnews

Published

2 years ago

October 26, 2022

Unless you’re a seasoned art collector, your path to an artwork is usually a winding and capricious one. It’s less about the discovery than the search—the estate sales you may have scoured, the keywords you might have pecked out, until finally you stumble upon something that clicks.

SINGULART turns this model on its head. At this premium online art and furniture shop, the discovery comes first. The search, in comparison, takes no time at all.

SINGULART enables clients to buy artwork and furniture by more than 12,000 artists from 110 different countries. To navigate this massive collection, SINGULART allows potential buyers to customize their search by myriad specifications. First, users identify the medium they’re seeking, whether painting, sculpture, photography, drawing, works on paper, or “miscellaneous.” From there, they can filter by country of origin, price, size, orientation, genre, and even dominant color scheme.

With SINGULART’s broad offerings and powerful search function, customers are all but guaranteed to find a work perfectly suited for their space. The company even handles framing and shipping.

“Our aim is to digitally democratize art,” a SINGULART spokesperson told ARTnews.

SINGULART was launched in 2017 by Véra Kempf, Brice Lecompte, and Denis Fayolle. Though she initially pursued a career in politics at the Paris Institute of Political Studies, Kempf nursed an abiding interest in art: At an early age, she was hugely inspired by the work of photojournalist Robert Capa; and Kempf herself studied central European art. She parlayed her erstwhile dreams of starting an NGO into entrepreneurship, participating in Startup Weekend in 2015. Fayolle, a serial entrepreneur, served as one of the jurors. He and Kempf stayed in touch, then connected with Lecompte, an insatiable traveler who first caught the art bug during a stint in India. Upon returning to France, he met Kempf and also came onboard.

SINGULART was founded on a principle of gender equity that still defines the platform five years on: Forty-nine percent of its participating artists are women, compared to just 11 percent in brick-and-mortar galleries worldwide. Any artist can apply for a SINGULART account, but they must be approved to exhibit on the platform. SINGULART’s sister site, balthasart, which launched in 2021, is more open, allowing any EU-based artist to upload and exhibit their work. Geared toward new buyers and up-and-coming artists, balthasart caps art prices at €1,000.

Both sites operate similarly for artists: Once a work is purchased, the artist sends it to the buyer through SINGULART’s prespecified shipping vendor—usually DHL, UPS, or an art shipping specialist—along with a certificate of authenticity. After the artwork is received by the buyer, the artist gets paid. Of that sum, SINGULART takes a 30 to 50 percent commission of the total price, depending on the artist’s renown.

Many of the artists currently exhibiting on SINGULART’s platform are, indeed, quite well known. Filtering by “Acclaimed Artists” turns up works by the likes of Tomi Ungerer, Richard Caldicott, Canal Cheong Jagerroos, Sol Kjøk, and Hassan Massoudy.

But if that’s not your thing—much less your budget—numerous other filters allow you to seek out up-and-comers: “Invest In” artists, “Emerging Artists,” artists who are “Only on SINGULART” and those who are “New Online.”

Those filters are also applicable to SINGULART’s mouthwatering furniture offerings, which range from light fixtures to functional pieces to decor. Much like SINGULART’s fine-art search function, furniture options can be further filtered by dimensions, material, and style, including midcentury modern, Art Deco, rustic, Scandinavian, industrial, and more.

Whether you’re a first-time buyer or a veteran collector seeking out new artists in your area, SINGULART is a stress-free sandbox to play in. Buying art has never been so easy—or so fun.

Learn more and buy art at singulart.com.

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Art

A misspelled memorial to the Brontë sisters gets its dots back at last

Published

1 month ago

September 26, 2024

Anne Joseph

LONDON (AP) — With a few daubs of a paintbrush, the Brontë sisters have got their dots back.

More than eight decades after it was installed, a memorial to the three 19th-century sibling novelists in London’s Westminster Abbey was amended Thursday to restore the diaereses – the two dots over the e in their surname.

The dots — which indicate that the name is pronounced “brontay” rather than “bront” — were omitted when the stone tablet commemorating Charlotte, Emily and Anne was erected in the abbey’s Poets’ Corner in October 1939, just after the outbreak of World War II.

They were restored after Brontë historian Sharon Wright, editor of the Brontë Society Gazette, raised the issue with Dean of Westminster David Hoyle. The abbey asked its stonemason to tap in the dots and its conservator to paint them.

“There’s no paper record for anyone complaining about this or mentioning this, so I just wanted to put it right, really,” Wright said. “These three Yorkshire women deserve their place here, but they also deserve to have their name spelled correctly.”

It’s believed the writers’ Irish father Patrick changed the spelling of his surname from Brunty or Prunty when he went to university in England.

Raised on the wild Yorkshire moors, all three sisters died before they were 40, leaving enduring novels including Charlotte’s “Jane Eyre,” Emily’s “Wuthering Heights” and Anne’s “The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.”

Rebecca Yorke, director of the Brontë Society, welcomed the restoration.

“As the Brontës and their work are loved and respected all over the world, it’s entirely appropriate that their name is spelled correctly on their memorial,” she said.

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Art

Calvin Lucyshyn: Vancouver Island Art Dealer Faces Fraud Charges After Police Seize Millions in Artwork

Published

1 month ago

September 13, 2024

Harry Miller

In a case that has sent shockwaves through the Vancouver Island art community, a local art dealer has been charged with one count of fraud over $5,000. Calvin Lucyshyn, the former operator of the now-closed Winchester Galleries in Oak Bay, faces the charge after police seized hundreds of artworks, valued in the tens of millions of dollars, from various storage sites in the Greater Victoria area.

Alleged Fraud Scheme

Police allege that Lucyshyn had been taking valuable art from members of the public under the guise of appraising or consigning the pieces for sale, only to cut off all communication with the owners. This investigation began in April 2022, when police received a complaint from an individual who had provided four paintings to Lucyshyn, including three works by renowned British Columbia artist Emily Carr, and had not received any updates on their sale.

Further investigation by the Saanich Police Department revealed that this was not an isolated incident. Detectives found other alleged victims who had similar experiences with Winchester Galleries, leading police to execute search warrants at three separate storage locations across Greater Victoria.

Massive Seizure of Artworks

In what has become one of the largest art fraud investigations in recent Canadian history, authorities seized approximately 1,100 pieces of art, including more than 600 pieces from a storage site in Saanich, over 300 in Langford, and more than 100 in Oak Bay. Some of the more valuable pieces, according to police, were estimated to be worth $85,000 each.

Lucyshyn was arrested on April 21, 2022, but was later released from custody. In May 2024, a fraud charge was formally laid against him.

Artwork Returned, but Some Remain Unclaimed

In a statement released on Monday, the Saanich Police Department confirmed that 1,050 of the seized artworks have been returned to their rightful owners. However, several pieces remain unclaimed, and police continue their efforts to track down the owners of these works.

Court Proceedings Ongoing

The criminal charge against Lucyshyn has not yet been tested in court, and he has publicly stated his intention to defend himself against any pending allegations. His next court appearance is scheduled for September 10, 2024.

Impact on the Local Art Community

The news of Lucyshyn’s alleged fraud has deeply affected Vancouver Island’s art community, particularly collectors, galleries, and artists who may have been impacted by the gallery’s operations. With high-value pieces from artists like Emily Carr involved, the case underscores the vulnerabilities that can exist in art transactions.

For many art collectors, the investigation has raised concerns about the potential for fraud in the art world, particularly when it comes to dealing with private galleries and dealers. The seizure of such a vast collection of artworks has also led to questions about the management and oversight of valuable art pieces, as well as the importance of transparency and trust in the industry.

As the case continues to unfold in court, it will likely serve as a cautionary tale for collectors and galleries alike, highlighting the need for due diligence in the sale and appraisal of high-value artworks.

While much of the seized artwork has been returned, the full scale of the alleged fraud is still being unraveled. Lucyshyn’s upcoming court appearances will be closely watched, not only by the legal community but also by the wider art world, as it navigates the fallout from one of Canada’s most significant art fraud cases in recent memory.

Art collectors and individuals who believe they may have been affected by this case are encouraged to contact the Saanich Police Department to inquire about any unclaimed pieces. Additionally, the case serves as a reminder for anyone involved in high-value art transactions to work with reputable dealers and to keep thorough documentation of all transactions.

As with any investment, whether in art or other ventures, it is crucial to be cautious and informed. Art fraud can devastate personal collections and finances, but by taking steps to verify authenticity, provenance, and the reputation of dealers, collectors can help safeguard their valuable pieces.